I guess videos are not magic bullets. The results are in from the first test in math and they are not all that surprising. The students who I expected to struggle struggled and the students who I expected to do well did well.
So what did I learn from this:
Well the videos only work if you pay attention to them and watch them closely. Some of the students were more behind than I thought at the start of the year. And I need to work on building up the students enthusiasm for the subject.
So how am I going to fix this, well I have started a three pronged approach.
First, I had a pretty frank discussion with the students about my expectations for them watching the videos. After checking the counter on YouTube I mentioned to the students that it was pretty clear some of the students were not watching. Unfortunately that sets up a problem because the students who are most invested in the class and are probably doing the best are watching the videos and already understand how to follow the procedures. So I either bore those students by going over the material again in class or have to work with 4-5 students who did not have the time to watch a 5 minute video. So I think I am going to start including a problem at the end of each lesson that the students have to complete that follows the steps outlined in the lessons. My hope is that then they will immediately get some practice and at the same time will be more invested since there is an actual grade for handing in the completed problem.
The second part of the plan is to help the students figure out what they are doing incorrectly and fix it. So five of the students who were not happy with the test scores will get a chance to re-take their test. But they first have to write out what they did that was incorrect in each problem they made a mistake on and then figure out the correct answer. Hopefully this will allow the students to think more about what they did incorrectly and then they might do better the next time around. I do not really care how long it takes them as long as they figure it out in the end.
To increase their enthusiasm in math I am going to totally ditch the regular material at least once a week and work on a problem that does not have a nice easy solution with a clear set of steps to follow. This week the students tried to figure out if they could run one lap around the athletic field at a faster pace than the marathoner who just set the record pace could run 26.2 miles. They could not but they had a pretty good time trying it out. We then had a really productive discussion on how to solve the problem.
So that is my plan moving forward in math. In history I need to get back to looking for material for the wiki to add. I could get lost with all the stuff out there but will eventually start to get the kids involved in it. At least when the kids handed their projects in to me this week I was able to take pictures so I can add them to the wiki for the class.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Judgement Day
Well it is here. The first test day in math class. I am going to be really interested in how this turns out. Hopefully all of the work and prep will be worth it. The kids started the test today but this first one always takes some extra time because it deals with decimal multiplication and division. One of the main things that I wanted to focus on this year with this group of students is computation. Overall it is a relative weakness for the class and I have worked to make it a habit in the class to show their work. They are already tired of one of the phrases that I use all year long: "Paper is cheap." I am going to ask them to rate how helpful the videos were and any advice they could give me to utilize them effectively. I am also going to honestly ask them what is the best way they think I could make sure that students watch the videos on the night that they are assigned so they can be prepared for class the next day.
In history, I am still in the starting blocks for selectively flipping the class. I am collecting videos and sources a bit at a time and putting them on my Wikis. The Non-Western Culture class that I teach 7th Graders in has been going very well but we have not had enough time in the computer lab to explore material yet. The students are working in groups to develop maps of Asia. They are using drywall paste on plywood and they have been really excited about the process. This is the last week we are working on it and they are finishing up painting the different regions and including other geographic forms like rivers. I felt it was important that they understand the impact of geography of the regions before we started on their culture and history. Also the first three chapters from the book do a survey of the geography of the regions so the project works well to build on that understanding. Once they are done with the project we are going to spend much more time collecting and sharing the resources out there with each other and the world.
In history, I am still in the starting blocks for selectively flipping the class. I am collecting videos and sources a bit at a time and putting them on my Wikis. The Non-Western Culture class that I teach 7th Graders in has been going very well but we have not had enough time in the computer lab to explore material yet. The students are working in groups to develop maps of Asia. They are using drywall paste on plywood and they have been really excited about the process. This is the last week we are working on it and they are finishing up painting the different regions and including other geographic forms like rivers. I felt it was important that they understand the impact of geography of the regions before we started on their culture and history. Also the first three chapters from the book do a survey of the geography of the regions so the project works well to build on that understanding. Once they are done with the project we are going to spend much more time collecting and sharing the resources out there with each other and the world.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
First Parent Feedback
We had Miniature School and I talked and talked about the classes with all the parents. Since most of the students I had last year many of the parents already know the drill about how I have a website (http://www.roycemoreschool.org/teacher/montgomery/index.html) and try to put the information out there about my classes really clearly. So I was able to spend a lot of the time talking about the changes I made this year.
For my history classes, I emphasized the wiki for each class. I showed how it was set up and some of the things that I had uploaded to it so far. The parents seemed interested and pretty supportive. One thing I can not wait for is when our school moves to the new building in a couple of months. We then should have much more reliable web access and laptop carts for classes. I do not think that the parents quite got that I am expecting their kids to contribute to this page. I am going to start with the Seventh Graders and work with them first. I have had them the longest and know them pretty well. That class focuses on Non-Western Culture and I am finding lots of resources to start us off well.
The overall feed back from the math parents was positive. They appreciated the work that I put and said that there students are watching the videos that I have made at my YouTube account (andymoteach). They seemed pretty impressed that I had spent so much time preparing and that I have the first third of the year done and on-line. One thing that was a little bit irritating but helpful was the only criticism that I got. A parent commented to me that I could be more clear when I spoke during the videos. The frustrating part was that this was the parent who I asked to critique the videos after I did my first few. She said that she would but did not get back to me. Oh well, we all have busy lives but I just wish I had gotten her feedback. A couple of parents even said that they learned stuff from my videos where I was teaching math the traditional way with example after example. I really have been emphasizing that most nights the students may have a little homework and also a video or two to watch. I need buy in from the parents so that their kids are on top of this. The kids say it has been useful but I do not know yet how much they are getting out of it. Some are saying it is boring and others are saying it is just right. And I am pretty sure that some kids are not yet watching the videos regularly. I certainly am spending less time in class going over the material and that is allowing me to work more with the students that need the additional help. I am learning that this is a balancing act of how much work to assign and also a trust exercise on how much can I expect a bunch 13 year-olds to follow through when there is not a clear assessment after. For the students who need to the most work I am still trying to figure out how to have them pay the attention they need to. I might have them copy the problems down at so they can follow the steps more closely but I do not know. Their first quiz is on Tuesday so that should be interesting. I have a feeling that I am going to be meeting with a few of my students over lunch or after school the next couple of days.
For my history classes, I emphasized the wiki for each class. I showed how it was set up and some of the things that I had uploaded to it so far. The parents seemed interested and pretty supportive. One thing I can not wait for is when our school moves to the new building in a couple of months. We then should have much more reliable web access and laptop carts for classes. I do not think that the parents quite got that I am expecting their kids to contribute to this page. I am going to start with the Seventh Graders and work with them first. I have had them the longest and know them pretty well. That class focuses on Non-Western Culture and I am finding lots of resources to start us off well.
The overall feed back from the math parents was positive. They appreciated the work that I put and said that there students are watching the videos that I have made at my YouTube account (andymoteach). They seemed pretty impressed that I had spent so much time preparing and that I have the first third of the year done and on-line. One thing that was a little bit irritating but helpful was the only criticism that I got. A parent commented to me that I could be more clear when I spoke during the videos. The frustrating part was that this was the parent who I asked to critique the videos after I did my first few. She said that she would but did not get back to me. Oh well, we all have busy lives but I just wish I had gotten her feedback. A couple of parents even said that they learned stuff from my videos where I was teaching math the traditional way with example after example. I really have been emphasizing that most nights the students may have a little homework and also a video or two to watch. I need buy in from the parents so that their kids are on top of this. The kids say it has been useful but I do not know yet how much they are getting out of it. Some are saying it is boring and others are saying it is just right. And I am pretty sure that some kids are not yet watching the videos regularly. I certainly am spending less time in class going over the material and that is allowing me to work more with the students that need the additional help. I am learning that this is a balancing act of how much work to assign and also a trust exercise on how much can I expect a bunch 13 year-olds to follow through when there is not a clear assessment after. For the students who need to the most work I am still trying to figure out how to have them pay the attention they need to. I might have them copy the problems down at so they can follow the steps more closely but I do not know. Their first quiz is on Tuesday so that should be interesting. I have a feeling that I am going to be meeting with a few of my students over lunch or after school the next couple of days.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Week One
My name is Andy Montgomery and this is my record of my attempt to start changing the way I teach by flipping my classroom.
My plan this year is to work towards flipping some of my classes regularly. I believe that this will allow me to do more interesting things during class instead of lecturing and managing to make sure that the students understood the lecture.
I teach in an independent, private school and am lucky enough to be able to try new things without having to ask too many people for permission. I teach four classes of history and one class of math. I have been teaching the same classes for most of the past thirteen years and while I always included new ideas and material I felt that this was the year I should really shake things up and get the students more involved.
I started this summer focusing on my math class and started to make my own series of videos that mimic Khan Academy. The main difference is that mine and clearly focusing on the lessons that we are covering through the textbook instead of having to pick and choose from Khan. I worked using a Mobi board and started to put lessons on a YouTube account (andymoteach if you are interested). It took quite a bit of my summer but I was able to create videos for a about a third of the way through the year. I will continue to build on this whenever I can. I planned on having the students watch the videos at home and do most of the work in class. As they got used to it and we got past the mundane process of decimal addition through division I hope to start to do more explorations in class and have the students watch the videos at home. I will keep you posted on how well this works and the adjustments I will have to make.
In my other classes I decided to start setting up wikis so I could post interesting material that supplements the textbook. My hope is that my students will soon start to scour the Web and find additional resources that we can then use to expand our understanding of the material.
So those are my goals and this is my record of what worked and what did not for the year. Hopefully others that follow down this path will avoid the many mistakes that I am sure to make and be able to feel like they have someone else out there that was as daunted by the challenge but bravely tried to do something different to help their students.
My plan this year is to work towards flipping some of my classes regularly. I believe that this will allow me to do more interesting things during class instead of lecturing and managing to make sure that the students understood the lecture.
I teach in an independent, private school and am lucky enough to be able to try new things without having to ask too many people for permission. I teach four classes of history and one class of math. I have been teaching the same classes for most of the past thirteen years and while I always included new ideas and material I felt that this was the year I should really shake things up and get the students more involved.
I started this summer focusing on my math class and started to make my own series of videos that mimic Khan Academy. The main difference is that mine and clearly focusing on the lessons that we are covering through the textbook instead of having to pick and choose from Khan. I worked using a Mobi board and started to put lessons on a YouTube account (andymoteach if you are interested). It took quite a bit of my summer but I was able to create videos for a about a third of the way through the year. I will continue to build on this whenever I can. I planned on having the students watch the videos at home and do most of the work in class. As they got used to it and we got past the mundane process of decimal addition through division I hope to start to do more explorations in class and have the students watch the videos at home. I will keep you posted on how well this works and the adjustments I will have to make.
In my other classes I decided to start setting up wikis so I could post interesting material that supplements the textbook. My hope is that my students will soon start to scour the Web and find additional resources that we can then use to expand our understanding of the material.
So those are my goals and this is my record of what worked and what did not for the year. Hopefully others that follow down this path will avoid the many mistakes that I am sure to make and be able to feel like they have someone else out there that was as daunted by the challenge but bravely tried to do something different to help their students.
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